BURLINGTON, Ont. - For the sixth time during the 2021-22 season, a Guelph Gryphon varsity athlete has been named OUA Athlete of the Week.
Tori Verbeek, a second-year human kinetics major at the University of Guelph and a left winger with the Gryphons women's hockey team, has been named OUA Athlete of the Week for the period covering Feb. 28 - March 6, 2022.
OUA Athletes of the Week (Feb. 28 - March 6, 2022)
Tori Verbeek, Women's Hockey, Guelph Gryphons
Lily Liu, Women's Fencing, Western Mustangs
Jason Ho-Shue, Men's Badminton, York Lions
It was a week to remember for Gryphons women's hockey forward,
Tori Verbeek. Verbeek recorded 3 goals and 1 assist in a pair of key wins for the Gryphons over Brock and Laurier. Verbeek, a human kinetics major who is currently in her second year of studies at the University of Guelph but first season of on-ice action with the women's hockey team, helped lead the way for the Gryphons during their home stretch of the regular season schedule. On Tuesday afternoon (March 1), Verbeek scored the first goal of her OUA career, with the Flesherton, Ontario native scoring a 1st period power play goal to tie the game at 1-1 versus Brock.
In the 2nd period, Verbeek would give the Gryphons a 2-1 lead with her second of the afternoon versus the Badgers. After Brock managed to score late in regulation to force overtime, Verbeek would help secure the win, assisting on the game-winning goal from
Hannah Tait to cap off a three-point game.
Two days later, Verbeek went right back to work on home ice, this time versus the Laurier Golden Hawks. The 19-year-old forward, who turns 20 on March 15, opened the scoring in the 2nd period with her third goal in two games. It was part of a 2-1 win on home ice for the Gryphons, who finished the regular season with an impressive 10-2-1 record, good for the No. 2-seed in the OUA West Division. With her team's playoff positioning already locked into place heading into the regular season finale on Saturday, March 5 at Laurier, Verbeek was kept out of the lineup, but the talented left winger will look to continue her recent hot streak this coming weekend as the Gryphons drop the puck on the OUA playoffs. The Gryphons are now busy preparing to host an OUA quarter-final matchup versus the Brock Badgers on Saturday, March 12 at 7:30pm.
For more information on the OUA Athletes of the Week, visit oua.ca.
Gryphons Named "OUA Athletes of the Week" in 2021-22
* was also named U SPORTS Athlete of the Week *
